Throttle control



April 18, 1950 N. E. WAHLBERG ET AL 2,504,286

THROTTLE CONTROL Filed June 8, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l NILS ERIK WAHLBERG JOSEPH F. SLADKY NVENTOR. BY (21 e THEl ATTORNEY April 18, 1950 N. E. WAHLBERG ET AL 2,504,286

THROTTLE CONTROL Filed June 8, 1946 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NILS ERIK WAHLBERG- JOSEPH F. SLADKY IN VENTOR. BY ZZZX EIR ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 18, 1950 F ICE Sladky, Detroit;-:Mich., .assignoi's to: Nash-:Kelvi- I nator Corporation, ;.-Kenos h a,- Wis-y aidorporationof- Maryland Applicatipnlune 8, 194 6, SerialNo. 675,498

'12Claims.

f This in-vention relates to control devices and r has particular reference to a control device for operating the carburetor for: an internal combustion-engine.

It-isan object of this invention to provide a control mechanism for a carburetor by which the -thr'( tt1e-of the carburetor is opened at a varying =--rate.

f--It is anotherobject of this invention to provide sax-control mechanism for the throttle of: a car- --buretor which will accelerate the engine at a varying rate to provide smoother functioningof --said-engine.

It is a further object of this invention to provide'a' control mechanism for the throttle of a carburetor which is simple and economical to manufacture and can be installed in an ordinary automobile Without important revisions of the parts thereof.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from a consideration of the fol- 7 lowing description and claims and the attached *-drawings, of which there are two sheets.

"In the drawings, inwhich like reference chara'ctersare used todesignate similar parts;

Figure 1-is aside elevational View through the motor compartment and dash panel of an automobile;

\ Figure 2 is a top view-of an automobile engine, clutch housing and transmissionwith the inven- =-tion'shown in-relation thereto;

'Figure- 3 is aside 'elevational view of a portion hitheinvention shownin'Figures 1 and 2;

f -Figure 4 is; a side elevational view, partially in :--sect-ion,-=-of aportion of the invention shown in Figures 1 and'2; and

Figure 5 is an-enlarged plan view of a portion =-'-Of-the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2.

*This 'invention has as its" prime purpose the .nprovision of amethod of accelerating an. internal 'combus'tion engine such as-an-automobile engine --so th'at saidengine will function smoothl and i prope'rlythroughout the rangeof acceleration re- .argardless of theload imposed thereon. It is comemon-v knowledge that an internal combustionen gine such as that used-in automobiles is often :astopped orkilled .becausethe operator overloads -Baidengine .at low speeds by engaging the clutch arid failing to accelerate said engine properly.

Further, iin :thermodern automobile which uses we. fiuidc coupling, centrifugal clutch or other auornaticgor, semi automatic drive'mechanisms; it desirable. thatifzthe initial rate: oi. acceleration e-zmore Erapid than: was; generally" provided in "'2 drive mechanisms. This faster rate of acceleration desirable-to quicken the engagement; of said drive: mechanisms and reduce the period or slippage therein. Applicant'sinvention provides 1 a mechanism wherein the throttle of the carburetor isopened rapidly when" the operator first depresses the accelerator pedal, thus increasing the 'speed of the engine sothatit may handle-loads imposed thereon.

Illustrated :in 'F-igure 1 is aportion of an auto- -.mobile havingian engine land a frontbody panel. or dash '4. Th'eengine 2' has as soci ated therewith a clutch housing 6 and transmission -case78. Engine" 21s also provided with acarbure- ;...tor I! ll which'has the usu'al throttle valve 1 l (Fig- -ure"2) operated by rotation ofa control-arm 32 (Figure 3). The; dash panel l' forms a part of the 1 toeboard. and the floor panel i6. Mounted on :v-the. toeaboard I 4 is an accelerator pedal 18 which 20 is 'pivoted' at Hand. provided with an a-rm 'fl :whi'ch-passes'through the toe board and extends forwardly. intothe motor compartment.

j -Near thetop of the dash panel 4 onthe left -side of 'the'rnotor 2 a first pulley i "secured .iby a bracket-$2 6 which .is rigidly secured tothe :dash :panel 4. Asec0nd--pu1ley 28 is secured to dash =panel- 4- on the rightside' of motor v 2 sby bra'cket30.

To "throttle; rod l 2 is rigidly secured" the a control arm 32 which extends upwardly therefrom. :Rigidly secured-to arm "32 is an arcuate ramp '--34 whichis'fianged onits outer Side. The flange -of :the ramp 34 is cut on at'36 (Figure 3) and-the rarnp isbent'upwardly at its lower forward-end 35 x to :form' a stop 38 (Figure 3) 'The stop 38 is aper- "ntured at 40. "The :ramp 34 is apertured near its upper backward end at 42.

A fiat plate: 44 "(Figure"2) is-securedto the ztop of the engine" 2" by the head b'olt'dfi' of: said engine in a position forward of the carburetor 10. ':Plate is apertured nearits outer end asat 448.

Aifirststension spring 59, is provided;-havingits one end hooked through=aperture48 'and its other L endhooked in apertured of ramp 34. *Imthis arrangementr-tension spring? 59 tends to rotate rampi34-;ia-rm--32, and rod 12 in-a clockwisedirecwtion, when :lookingatnthe' right side of them- "gine,zwhich "closes valve I l A flexible-cable 52 is secured tothe forward end 54.; of accelerator arm 22 and passes upwardly i-therefrom ovenpulle 24, pulley} and ramps", from-which it-extends downwardly throughaper- :ture' fliI-instop 38: of ramp 3 4 and has astop fafl solder; cars which did non have: such automatic -55 securedheanits-endand below Stop-.38.

A Second tension spring 58 is positioned around a portion of cable 52 and has its one end 58 hooked through aperture 68 of ramp 34. Spring 56 extends upwardly from aperture 60 over ramp 34 to a clamp 62 rigidly secured to cable 52, which has an aperture 64 therein in which the other end of tension spring 56 is hooked.

To the end of arm 32 which is remote from throttle rod I2 is rotatably secured a rigid rod 66. Rod 66 extends backwardly from arm 32 and has a socket member 68 rigidly secured to its rearward end. Socket 68 engages ball member 10 which has a portion 12 threaded into aperture 14 formed in pulley 28. It will be noted that ball member '18 is positioned remote from the center of pulley 28. Pulley 28 is rigidly secured to shaft 16 which is rotatably carried by bracket 30. Clamp means 78 are provided on pulley 28 to rigidly secure cable 52 thereto so that any movement of said cable will rotate pulley 28.

When the operator of the vehicle depresses foot pedal l8, the inner end 54 of arm 22 will be moved downwardly, pulling cable 52, which will rotate ,pulley 28 in a clockwise direction. At normal .-.position, the ball member 18 is positioned between the axis of pulley 28 and the arm 32. Thus rotation of pulley 28 in a clockwise direction will move ball member 10 away from arm 32 as rect connection between pedal l8 and carburetor l when the operator depresses the pedal l8.

,, However, it will be noted that the valve l I of carburetor ID will only be opened a predetermined amount which is controlled by the distance ball member is positioned from the axis of pulley 28. The outer end of arm 32 will only be rotated twice the distance that ball member 10 is positioned from the axis of pulley 28 as that is the -maximum distance rod 66 will be pulled by ball 18. This will be accomplished by a 180 rotation of" pulley 28. In this manner, the invention provides for quick acceleration of th engine so that i it will not be killed by rapid engagement of the clutch, which is a frequent occurrence when opera-ting an automobile with a manually mm P trolled clutch, and this rapid acceleration will also quickly put the elements of an automatic driving unit in operation to reduce the lapse of time between the initial depression of the accelerator pedal and the operation of the automatic unit.

It is commonly known that following th initial steps in starting the automobile as just described above, a slow rate of acceleration is desirable to produce a smooth flow of power in reaching the desired cruising speed. This is provided by the tension spring 56 which is secured to the cable 52 by the member 62.

Spring 56 will stretch when it is initially pulled by cable 52 and in this way slowly rotate ramp 34 in a clockwise direction as shown in Figure 3 which will rotate arm 32 and rod I2 in a like direction, thus opening the throttle member of carburetor l6. Spring 56 stretches when pulled by cable 52 due to the power exerted by the lighter spring 56, which tends to rotate ramp 34 in the opposite direction. When spring 58 is stretched in this manner to a predetermined length, stop member 54 securedv to cable 52 will be pulled up into abutment with stop 38 of ramp 34 and thus ramp 34, arm 32, and rod l2 will again be rotated directly by the cable 52 as it will be pulling against the stop 38 of ramp 34 through its stop member 54. Thus after the initial and intermediate steps of acceleration as just described, the operator is provided with a rigid connection through cable 52 with the valve l'l.

As arm 32 is rotated in a clockwise direction (Figure 3) in this manner, its outer end 18 will approach a position which is at a distance from ball 10 which is less than the length of rod 66. Therefore, the connection means provided between the rod 66 and the end 18 of arm 32 is a one-way connection comprised of a member 88 which is rotatably secured in the end 18 of arm 32 and is provided with an aperture 8| through which extends rod 66. On its forward end, rod 66 is provided with an enlarged portion 82 which is larger than the aperture 8| in member 80, thus preventing rod 66 from being pulled out of member 80. However, rod 66 is loosely positioned in the aperture of member 88', thus member 80 is freely slideable on rod 66 permitting arm 32 to be rotated in a clockwise direction further than provided by rod 66.

In this manner we have provided a control device for the throttle of an internal combustion engine which initially opens the throttle comparatively fast, intermediately opens the throttle gradually, and finally again provides more direct control of the throttle.

While we have described our invention in some detail, we intend this description to be an ex ample only and not limiting on our invention to which we make the following claims:

1. A throttle control mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprising a pedal lever, a one-way direct connection and a resilient connection between said lever and said throttle for opening same, and means for closing said throttle.

2. A throttle control mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprising a pedal lever, a one-way direct connection between said lever and said throttle for opening said throttle, a partially resilient connection between said pedal and said throttle for opening said throttle, and means for closing said throttle.

3. A throttle control mechanism for an internal combustion engine having a manually controlled pedal lever, connection means between said lever and said throttle comprising a one-way connection for initially opening said throttle, a resilient connection for intermediately opening said throttle, a second direct connection, and means for closing said throttle.

4. A throttle control mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprising a pedal lever, a one-way direct connection between said lever and said throttle for initially opening said throttle, a resilient connection for opening said throttle beyond said initial opening, a second one-way direct connection for opening said throttle beyond the intermediate opening thereof, and means for closing said throttle.

5. A throttle control mechanism for the throttle of an internal combustion engine comprising a pedal lever, a throttle valve in said throttle, a rotatable arm secured to said valve for opening and closing same, a one-way direct connection between said lever and said arm for rotating said arm to open said valve, a resilient one-way connection for rotating said arm to open said valve,

a second one-way direct connection for opening said valve beyond a predetermined stage, and means for rotating said arm to close said valve.

6. A throttle control mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprising a pedal lever, a throttle valve, a rotatable arm secured to said throttle valve for opening and closing same, a rotatable pulley, a cable secured near its one end to said lever and passing over and securing to said pulley and having its other end resiliently secured to said arm for rotating same to open said valve, a rigid link extending between said arm and said pulley having its one end secured eccentrically on said pulley and having its opposite end secured to said arm by a one-way direct connection for rotating said arm in one direction to open said valve, and means for rotating said arm in one direction to close said valve.

7. A throttle control mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprising a throttle valve, a rotatable arm secured to said valve for opening and closing same, a ramp rigidly secured to said arm, a rotatable pulley, a flexible cable having its one end secured to said pedal lever and an intermediate portion passing over said pulley and secured thereto and near its other end passing over said ramp and resiliently secured thereto for rotating said arm in one direction to open said throttle valve, an aperture in said ramp through which said cable extends to its end, a stop means secured adjacent said end of the cable and designed to be drawn into abutment with said ramp adjacent said aperture when said resilient comiection is extended, a rigid link extending between said pulley and said arm, connection means securing one end of said link eccentrically to said pulley, a one-way connection between the opposite end of said link and said arm for rotating said arm in one direction to open said throttle valve, and means for rotating said arm to close said throttle valve.

8. A throttle control mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprising a throttle having a throttle valve, a rotatable arm secured to said valve for opening and closing same, a ramp rigidly secured to said arm, a pedal lever, a pulley intermediate said pedal lever and said throttle, a flexible cable secured near its one end to said pedal lever and passing over and rigidly secured to said pulley for rotating said pulley when said pedal lever is depressed, a rigid link extending between said pulley and said arm, an eccentric connection between said pulley and one end of said link for pulling said link when said pulley is initially rotated, a, one-way direct connection between the opposite end of said link and said arm, a resilient connection between said cable and said ramp for rotating said arm to open the throttle valve, a lost motion connection between said cable and said ramp for rotating said arm to open said throttle valve, and means for rotating said arm to close said valve.

9. A throttle control mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprising a throttle valve, a control arm for opening and closing said valve, a pedal lever, a pulley intermediate said pedal lever and said control arm, a link extending between said pulley and said control arm, a oneway direct connection between one end of said link and said control arm, a rotatable connection between the other end'of said link and said pulley and eccentric in regard to said pulley, a cable rigidly secured near its one end to said pedal lever and passing over and rigidly secured to said pulley for rotating same to pull said link through said rotatable connection upon initial rotation of said pulley for rotating said arm, a ramp rigidly secured to said control arm, a resilient connection between said cable and said ramp for rotating said control arm beyond the initial rotation thereof by said link, a lost motion connection between said cable and said ramp for rotating said control arm beyond the rotation thereof by said resilient connection, and means for rotating said control arm for closing said valve.

10. A throttle controlled mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprising a throttle, a pedal lever, connection means extending between said pedal lever and throttle for operating said throttle comprising a one-way direct connection therebetween for opening said throttle, a partiall resilient one-way connection for opening said throttle, and means for closing said throttle.

11. A throttle controlled mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprising a throttle valve, a pedal lever, a rotatable pulley, means drivingly connecting said pedal and said pulley and extending to said valve, resilient means connecting said means to said valve, a rigid link drivingly secured eccentrically on said pulley and extending to said valve, a one-way connection securing said rigid link to said valve for opening same, and means for closing said valve.

12. A throttle controlled mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprising a throttle valve, a control means for opening and closing said valve, a manually controlled means, a rotatable pulley, a connecting means rigidly secured to said manual means and drivingly secured on said pulley and extending to the control means for the valve, a resilient connection between said connecting means and the control means for the valve, a link secured eccentrically on said pulley and extending to the control means for the valve, a one-way connection securing said link to the control means for the valve for opening said valve, and means for closing said valve.

NILS ERIK WAHLBERG. JOSEPH F. SLADKY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,029,685 Huff June 18, 1912 1,097,778 Tibbetts May 26, 1914 1,459,317 Birdsall June 19, 1923 1,514,860 Pearce Nov. 11, 1924 1,530,894 Hayes Mar. 24, 1925 1,810,128 Chapel June 16, 1931 2,067,332 Numer Jan. 12, 1937 Certificate of Correction April 18, 1950 Patent No. 2,504,286

NILS ERIK WAHLBERG ET AL. It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the ab mmbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 4, line 54, before the word connection insert direct;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that th 815 12 may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice. Signed and sealed this 15th d'aybf August, A. D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commz'ssioner of Patents. 

